West Ham makes a bid to sign a new “goal machine”; better than Fullkrug?
As West Ham looks to enhance their team ahead of the 2024–2025 Premier League campaign, with the aim of returning to European football for the 2025–2026 season, Julen Lopetegui has had a very busy summer thus far.
Former Lopetegui employee Max Kilman from Wolves, gifted young Brazilian Luis Guilherme, Championship POTY Crysencio Summerville from Leeds, and now-experienced Dortmund attacker Niclas Füllkrug are among the new additions.However, given Fullkrug’s age, many people are hesitant to invest in him, therefore West Ham may still look to acquire another striker.
It might be a wise move for the Hammers to add another youthful striker to their roster, though.Searching for another attacker, West Ham is reportedly interested in Roma striker Tammy Abraham, having offered Roma up to £25 million. However, Abraham is reportedly more interested in moving to AC Milan, where he could play in the Champions League and be part of an exciting project under new manager Paulo Fonseca. These reports come from Calciomercato.Abraham returned from a long-term injury to play 12 games for Roma last season, recording one assist and one goal in 321 minutes.
Comparison between Fullkrug and Abraham
The new West Ham addition, Fullkrug, played 3,605 minutes in 46 games across all competitions for Dortmund last season, finishing with 10 assists, 16 goals, and 10 minutes of play.
The German forward has demonstrated his ability to score goals frequently, as evidenced by his 16 goals for Dortmund and his two goals in his limited minutes at Euro 2024. But considering his age, might Abraham end up providing even more over a longer period of time?Abraham’s 2022–2023 season metrics give a better idea of what his potential stats could be. Because of injuries, he played 2,189 minutes in 2023–2024 as opposed to 321 minutes in 2023–2024.Aside from production metrics like goal and assist totals, the once-dubbed “goal machine” by Stephen Elliot outperforms Fullkrug in most other areas. At 0.44 per 90, Abraham’s xG production is comparable to Fullkrug’s 0.48 per 90.
Even while the former Chelsea striker doesn’t quite have Fullkrug’s level of prolificity, he still contributes more in other areas, including progressive carries, touches in the penalty area, volume of shoots (both on target and off), and aerial victories thanks to his 6 foot 3 stature.Maybe a combination of the two, with Abraham’s slightly different physical profile and Fullkrug’s experience and goal-scoring ability combined with his increased speed and mobility and ability to carry the ball, might provide the Hammers a strong attacking combination this upcoming season.
